Bendigo
Stella DAY OUT: Bendigo
Date: Friday, 13 March 2026
Location: Bendigo Library, 251-259 Hargreaves Street, Bendigo, Victoria 3550
Time: 5:30pm-8:00pm
Tickets: FREE, bookings essential. Book on our Eventbrite here.
Stella, in partnership with Goldfields Libraries and Bookish Bendigo, is proud to announce a FREE one-day literary event, where 2026 Stella Prize long-listed authors will give their first public appearance following the long list announcement. Local readers and writers will have the first chance to hear directly from some of the long-listed writers as they discuss their craft in conversation with local moderators Cate Kennedy and Cecile Shanahan.
Editor, awards judge, and curator Cecile Shanahan will moderate the first discussion, and the second session will be moderated by local writer and academic Dr Cate Kennedy. Cate’s novel Like A House On Fire was shortlisted for the inaugural Stella Prize in 2013, and she was a Stella Prize judge in 2022.
This will be an intimate evening of exciting conversation and big ideas, celebrating some of the best new Australian writing, hosted at the beautiful Bendigo library. Please join us in celebrating some of the year’s best new Australian writing. Authors will be announced two days prior on 11 March.
Event information
Doors open: 5pm
Session 1:
5:30pm-6:30pm
Cecile Shanahan in conversation with Stella Prize longlisted author/s
Session 2:
6:45pm-7:45pm
Cate Kennedy in conversation with Stella Prize longlisted author/s
Book sale and signings available afterward, hosted by Bookish Bendigo.
Beverages and light refreshments provided.
Venue accessibility
Access ramp, public lift, wheelchair-accessible toilets, electric mobility vehicle charging station, hearing loop, disabled parking, breastfeeding-friendly space, magnifying sheet, access key. For more information please see Bendigo Library’s website, or contact info@stella.org.au.
Speakers
This event features surprise authors – all from the 2026 Prize Longlist to be announced 11 March 2026.
The authors will be interviewed by local moderators Cate Kennedy and Cecile Shanahan.
Cate Kennedy is published as a short story author, novelist, poet and essayist. She was shortlisted for the inaugural Stella Prize and has since been a member of the judging panel for the award. She lives in regional Victoria and enjoys working in schools, where her short story collections have been syllabus texts for several years.
Cecile Shanahan has been a freelance editor for over a decade. She is also an awards judge, organiser and moderator of literary events, and a past co-curator of Bendigo Writers Festival. Cecile has a background in education, communications and the arts.
Proudly supported Goldfields Libraries, Bookish Bendigo, and Quest Apartment Hotels.
Help change the story
As a not-for-profit organisation with ambitious goals, Stella relies on the generous support of donors to help fund our work.
Every donation is important to us and allows Stella to continue its role as the leading voice for gender equality and cultural change in Australian literature.
Stella is a not-for-profit organisation with DGR status. All donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible.
